A court in Moscow ruled in absentia arrest ex-head of Yukos Mikhail Khodorkovsky. About this informed the official representative of the Investigative Committee of Russia Vladimir Markov, adding that the businessman put on the international wanted list, reports “Interfax”.

“Having considered the request of the Directorate for investigation of especially important cases of the RCDS, the court in absentia chose against Mikhail Khodorkovsky a measure of restraint in form of detention”, – said Markin.

In Basmanny court of Moscow confirmed the arrest in absentia of former Yukos CEO Khodorkovsky, reports TASS. Court spokesman Juno Tsarev said that the period of detention – two months will be counted from the moment of actual detention ECA-heads of Yukos.

Law enforcement agencies organized the international search Khodorkovsky at the level of the CIS countries and those States with which the Russian Federation concluded agreements on mutual extradition, but Interpol has not yet joined. “The investigation will be carried out in the CIS countries and in those countries with which the Russian Federation concluded an agreement on mutual extradition. Investigation on the level of Interpol yet,” – reported “Interfax” an informed source.

As recalled by the representative of the RCDS, earlier in the Khodorkovsky issued a resolution on attraction as accused of Commission of crimes under articles of the criminal code “Organization of murders and attempt at murder of two and more persons”.

According to investigators, Khodorkovsky, as a shareholder and Chairman of the Board of YUKOS oil company in 1998-1999 instructed subordinate employees to Nevzlin and Pichugin, as well as others, the murder of the mayor of Nefteyugansk Petukhov and businesswoman fish.

As mentioned earlier Markin, the investigation clearly, these crimes were committed with selfish motives. “To organize the murder of Petukhov, was decided in relation to its legal requirements of the mayor of Nefteyugansk to the oil company YUKOS to return concealed from state taxes. Attempt at the businessman Vyacheslav Rybin has been associated with the initiation of the claims against Yukos to recover damages caused by illegal activities of oil companies,” he said.

Khodorkovsky himself has called all the charges “a farce” and did not intend to limit their movement. It was confirmed on December 23, his press Secretary Kyle Piispanen: “He did not care. These actions will in no way limit his movement”, reports RIA “Novosti”.

On 8 December it became known about the invitation of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, living abroad for questioning in the reopened case of the murder of mayor of Nefteyugansk. The agenda of the TFR was delivered to the father of the former head of Yukos in Moscow.

Vladimir Petukhov was killed on 26 June 1998 at the hands of an assassin. He was then seriously wounded his bodyguard Vyacheslav Kokoshkin. The death of the mayor was preceded by a conflict with a township-forming enterprise of YUKOS. The mayor has accused the company that it does not pay taxes to the local budget, which the city started the irregular payment of wages and public services. In June 1998, the mayor announced a hunger strike, demanding to initiate criminal proceedings against Yukos executives.

The Petukhov stopped hunger strike after the promises of the Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug Alexander Filipenko to verify the information and to take action. After a few days Petukhov was shot from a machine near the building of city administration. The murder occurred on the day of Khodorkovsky’s birthday. Vladimir Putin has publicly directly linked this crime with the leadership of Yukos.

In criminal cases involving this crime, were sentenced the former employee of security service of Yukos Alexey Pichugin and former largest shareholder Leonid Nevzlin living in Israel. Note that Nevzlin was also arrested in absentia and in January 2004, the Nevzlin declared Russia on the international wanted list. He was also charged in absentia of charges of embezzlement of property worth more than 3 billion rubles, and tax evasion in the amount of 26,7 million roubles individuals in the period 1999-2000.

As a result, in 2008 the Moscow city court has recognized Nevzlin guilty of organizing murders and attempted murders and sentenced him to life imprisonment. However, at the moment Nevzlin living in Israel.

Note that when Nevzlin in absentia was arrested, he was already a citizen of Israel – a citizenship he received in November 2003. Ultimately, the court in Israel refused to extradite Nevzlin to Russia. Khodorkovsky currently has no other nationality, except Russian. The former head of Yukos has a residence permit in Switzerland, which he received in March of this year.

The Swiss authorities in matters of extradition previously collaborated with Moscow. For example, ex-Minister for atomic energy Yevgeny Adamov gave the Russian side. He was arrested in Switzerland in 2005 in the U.S., who accused him of embezzling nine million dollars of international aid to Russia and demanded the extradition of the former Minister. Russia also demanded the extradition of Adam. As a result, in December 2005 the Federal court of Switzerland has decided to extradite Adamov to Russia.

Other claims of militiamen associated with Khodorkovsky

It is worth adding that law enforcement agencies remain and other claims against Khodorkovsky. So, yesterday in Moscow were searched in “Open Russia” sponsored the former head of Yukos. They were connected with suspicions in money-laundering, allegedly received from the sale of Mikhail Khodorkovsky stolen from subsidiaries of Yukos oil. From the office of the “Open Russia” investigators seized two computers, cameras and numerous documents.

In the decree which was published by the “Open Russia”, said that investigative actions are held in connection with a criminal case initiated on 20 June 2003 on the facts of causing material damage to the state and JSC “Apatit”.

The charges of misappropriation by fraud 20% of OJSC “Apatit” and the non-enforcement of the court decision on returning them to the state belong to the so-called first Yukos case, which was convicted Khodorkovsky and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International financial Association MENATEP Platon Lebedev in 2005. Then it was reported that former top managers of Yukos was charged with the theft of 20% of shares of “Apatite”, resulting in damage to the state exceeded $ 280 million.

In addition, previously the attention of the General Prosecutor’s office drew the words of Mikhail Khodorkovsky about the future of the peaceful revolution in Russia. “The actions Khodorkovsky are extremist in nature and require the carrying out the procedural verification in accordance with article 144 of the code, because they contain characteristics of public appeals to violent change of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation”, – said the Agency.

The court in absentia arrested Mikhail Khodorkovsky and declared him on the international wanted list 23.12.2015